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Saturday, May 12, 2018

North Korea to invite journalists from South Korea, China, Russia, UK and US to witness nuclear test site closure

North Korea will make a public show of its promise to close its nuclear testing site, north of the country. According to South Korean news agency, Yonhap, North Korea said it is taking “technical measures” to dismantle its nuclear test site, moving closer to honouring an offer made by its leader Kim Jong-un during the inter-Korean summit last month.

The North’s foreign ministry issued a press release, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), detailing the country’s plans to shut down its Pyunggye-ri nuclear test ground. The English-language statement said the ruling Workers’ Party and other relevant institutions are “taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground” in order to “ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test.”

During the third inter-Korean summit on April 27, Kim told South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he would “carry out the closure of the northern nuclear test site in May,” according to Seoul’s presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae. Kim also offered to make the dismantling public. And the North’s foreign ministry said the ceremony for the occasion has been scheduled for between May 23 and 25, depending on weather conditions.

Given the limited space, only journalists from South Korea, China, Russia, the United States and Britain will be invited to cover the dismantling on-site, the ministry added